


The Tumblr Month

by TMW



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-25 01:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2602787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMW/pseuds/TMW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As part of a routine (and at the urgings of his therapist), Nick joins Tumblr and soon meets an intriguing user named DevilDoc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tumblr Month

Nick sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. It’d been a ridiculously long day and all he wanted was some mindless television and maybe a beer.

Okay, definitely a beer.

He dragged his fingers through his hair, his too-long curls springing back into place. He needed to get it cut badly, but his captain hadn’t reprimanded him for it yet so he honestly couldn’t be bothered.

A show about ancient aliens caught his attention and he left it on as he headed to the galley for a drink. There was a level of peace to his evening ritual—pajama pants, dinner, drink, television, browsing the internet. His therapist had suggested coming up with a routine to help him wind down after work and before trying to sleep. Lately, it was either insomnia or nightmares and he didn’t know which one was worse.

He grabbed his laptop from the table as he headed back, pulling it into his lap as he sat down with all the finesse of a gentle giant, sloshing beer onto his wrist. “Goddammit,” he muttered as he set the glass down and, mostly because of laziness and the sheer disinterest in going vertical again, licked his wrist clean like an angry tabby cat.

The show rambled on in the background as he opened his laptop and glanced at his email to see if anything needed his immediate attention. Nothing dire—a few forwards from his mom with random jokes or chain mail nonsense. Something from his sister about the holidays but, let’s be honest here, he wasn’t even thinking about the holidays until the month of so it was pointless to email him three months prior. A few social media notifications that he started to delete until one caught his eye.

 _DevilDoc has started following you_.

The smile pulled at his cheeks before he could stop it and he found himself skipping over that email in his purging of his inbox. It was dumb, really. Keeping an email about someone he’d never spoken to following him via Tumblr.

In reality, the fact that he was on a website like Tumblr made him laugh at himself quite often. When his therapist had suggested finding a social media site that would allow him to organize his thoughts and likes and dreams into one place, he’d arched an eyebrow and given her a dubious look. She’d simply smiled and said it was the modern version of the dream journal and he could do whatever he wanted with it. He could keep it a secret. He could share it publicly. But it was mostly for him to keep track of things.

She’d shown him several sites that performed those tasks, and out of all of them, Tumblr appealed to him the most. It felt the most laid-back and easy to handle. He could read jokes, find inspirational quotes or pictures, see or read porn if he was in the mood, catch up on current events better than reading the news sometimes, and just generally lurk in the background.

He kept it to himself. He found he enjoyed it and it helped take his mind off work or his nightmares. He’d found other ex-marines to follow and took solace in their posts on remembrance days or historical stories they’d share. He found he pulled strength from those who’d been torn apart by war but who persevered and now worked with veterans groups and brought awareness to those who still suffered.

It became part of his routine—scrolling through his dashboard and reblogging things he found interesting. He never used the queue so if anyone was paying attention, they knew exactly when he was online, but he didn’t care. No one had ever spoken to him before except maybe to reblog something he’d added a comment onto and expand on it.

Nick found himself heading to _DevilDoc_ ’s page before he even checked his own dashboard. He couldn’t put a finger on what drew him to the user. If the guy was being truthful in the bare amount of facts he’d put in his sidebar, he was in the states and a former SARC. His reblogs were everything from the most ridiculous jokes to breathtaking photography of mountains, lakes, and forests. He also seemed to reblog a lot of architecture photos of cabins. He talked a lot, constantly chiming in on conversations with humor and authority. He posted a fair amount of photos of himself usually doing crazy things and making dopey faces, which didn’t at all detract from how good-looking he was.

Nick liked him and didn’t even know his real name.

It was a dumb internet crush and one he’d never breathe a word about to anyone, but it was there and that was that.

And here he was, scrolling through the man’s page and seeing what he’d posted while Nick had been at work.

The most recent post was from this morning and simply read, _Followed a whole bunch of you fuckers back last night so I could beef up the queue before I go out of town. I’ll be back in thirty days. I don’t know how much access to the intertubes I’ll have. Do not burn down the house while I’m gone or you’re all grounded._

A fair amount of replies littered the notes. Everything from _See you soon_ to _have fun you bastard!_ to _be careful and let us know you’re alive from time to time_. More than a few _[[hugs]]_ and _xoxo kisses_.

Nick hovered over the reply button for a good minute, his attention wandering to the show while he considered responding. Finally he growled to himself for being such a pansy and typed out a quick, _Have a good trip and take lots of pictures._

The next night when he logged on, there was a notification in his activity from _DevilDoc_. When he opened it, he was greeted with a grinning face and a mountain he didn’t recognize in the background.

_Some of you asked for pictures. Here’s Pike’s Peak. I KNOW I didn’t go that far from home YET, but we’re not focused on that. So here’s a mountain. Here’s me after coffee. Trust me, you don’t want the before picture. LuckyDetective this one’s for you, dude._

Nick laughed and clicked open the reply bubble. _Nice mountain. Coffee’s gross, dude._

Ten minutes later, as he was scrolling, a notification popped up that he’d been mentioned again.

It was a reply from _DevilDoc_.

_Blasphemy, good sir! How can you not like coffee? That’s just weird, man. Eh, I’m too lazy to actually argue with you about this. But more coffee for me and you’ll just be missing out on the nectar of the gods._

Nick snorted and replied, _I prefer my pick-me-ups in other ways._

It took only a minute for _DevilDoc_ to reply, _I have no good response to that. I’m going to bed and you can enjoy your coffeeless yet apparently sex-filled existence._

Nick blushed. He hadn’t particularly intended his response to be innuendo, but it amused him to no end that sex was the first place this guy’s mind went. He closed his laptop, still smiling. He had no idea what the next month would bring as _DevilDoc_ traveled, but if it was anything like tonight, this could be a lot of fun.

==

The third and fourth days of _DevilDoc_ ’s trip were only posts from his queue which were all tagged _my queue tag isn’t witty_. There were four pictures of mountain vistas. Two of jungle ziplines. A fallen hero memorial photo. Two quotes about perseverance. Four _Hawkeye_ comic panels which made Nick laugh and he made a mental note to look into the series. One long essay on cannabis legalization. Two posts about bisexual pride, which made Nick’s heart flutter obnoxiously. And four cat meme pictures that made him roll his eyes.

Not everyone was perfect.

The fifth night, Nick found two mentions in his feed, both from _DevilDoc_. The first made him bark-laugh embarrassingly loud. It was _DevilDoc_ —somewhere inside so Nick could actually see his changeable eyes—holding the largest mug of coffee he’d ever seen. The guy had the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he grinned at the camera.

_Hey LuckyDetective, come join me for a coffee? OH WAIT YOU’RE WEIRD_

Nick pursed his lips as he clicked the reply button: _Guess we’ll never have our coffee shop au._

The second picture was from the edge of a cliff he didn’t recognize and he’d been one of five people tagged in the post.

_Wish you were here because when I do something stupid I’d have someone to blame._

He clicked the heart on that one, unable to think of any reply that didn’t make him sound like a dad or a spoilsport. He relaxed on the couch and browsed through the rest of his dashboard for a few pages, reblogging more marine photos than usual. He felt a little melancholy at the team photos, missing his recon boys something fierce that night.

Just before he logged off for the night, he sent a quick message to _DevilDoc_.

_Thanks for tagging me in those photos. Made me laugh. Hope your trip is a good one. –Nick_

He hit send before he could change his mind about a) sending it and b) using his real name.

He snapped the laptop shut and rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to focus on the here and now instead of where his brain wanted to dance off to.

It was going to be a long night.

==

Kelly grinned at his tablet screen as he reclined in the motel bed. _Nick_. His name was Nick. He didn’t know why that made him so happy, but he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried. He rolled his shoulders to get more comfortable against the pillows and tapped out a quick reply.

_Listen, because of you, I can’t drink coffee now without snickering into my mug. Which means I think of you every morning and not in a great morning-after sort of way. So thanks for that, jerk. Anyway, glad you like the pics. Been wanting to do this road trip for years and finally saved up the time and money to do it so off I go. Catch you later. –Kelly_

He answered it privately. He was fairly certain Nick didn’t want his real name plastered publicly. He seemed like a fairly private guy. His page was mostly marines and the ocean. Occasionally fishing photos or something having to do with Boston or the police. Lots of gourmet food pics, which made Kelly wonder if the dude knew how to cook or just wanted to seem like it. He’d be willing to bet it was the former.

There was no reply by the time he was done browsing and responding to other messages and replies. He posted a quick selfie taken from his tablet in bed with a _good night from the road_ message and logged off.

==

The next four days, Nick was wrapped up in a homicide that had him up until all hours of the night tracking down clues, visiting clubs he never wanted to know even existed, and talking to people who either cussed him out or hit on him. Each night, he barely peeled out of his clothes before he fell into bed and slept so deeply, he didn’t even dream.

On day four, the case broke only because their murderer made a stupid mistake. Hagan took one look at Nick and told him to go home.

“You look like shit, man. Go get some rest. Maybe get laid.”

Nick flipped him off but left before anyone could grab him for anything else he didn’t have the mental energy to do. The drive home was as aggravating as ever and, by the time he reached his boat, his mood had deteriorated into something near-catastrophic. He stumbled onto the boat and peeled out of his clothes as he headed to his room.

Fifteen minutes later, freshly showered, he settled onto the couch in his pajama pants and turned on the TV. A World War II documentary winked on, filling the salon with the sounds of gunfire and serious narration. He idly watched it for a few minutes before grabbing his laptop.

He replied to an email from Ty insisting he was alive, just busy, and that he’d give him a call this weekend after he’d had a chance to recover. Owen had forwarded a list of puns that had Nick chuckling, the mental strain of his week easing by degrees. He only had a few social media notifications, one of which immediately caught his eye.

_DevilDoc asked a question_

Nick grinned as he opened a new tab for Tumblr. The stupid flip in his chest was so ridiculous, but it wasn’t like he could reason with his insides.

There were two messages in his inbox. The first was a private reply to his message a few days ago which made him laugh.

 _Kelly_.

For some weird reason, it fit the guy. Nick couldn’t explain it, but it worked.

The second message was a new one from Kelly.

_I was running late this morning to catch my flight and missed my coffee. So far I’ve existed admirably without it and thought you’d be proud. Anyway, making sure you’re doing okay, dude. Haven’t seen you in a few days and your last few posts were kinda on the down side. Sorry if I’m overstepping (because I do that…often). –kelly_

Nick laughed quietly at the rambling quality of the message and imagined that if he ever spoke to Kelly in person, it would be a lot of Nick nodding while Kelly spoke in run-on sentences. He huffed as he realized he was envisioning meeting the guy.

Stupid internet crush.

_Hey Doc, no I’m fine. Just a really long week at work. How’s your trip and did you make it more than one morning without coffee because then I’ll be really impressed._

He grimaced at the message, debating on whether or not to add more. Finally he sent it and went to Kelly’s page, scrolling through pictures of the trip so far. He reblogged one of a lake and another couple of marine-related posts that Kelly had posted. He hovered over the reblog button on an image of a bisexual flag then growled at himself and reblogged it. He was out to his family and his coworkers and his friends. Why not online too? He wasn’t ashamed of being bi. Far from it.

His brain poked at him a little, accusing him of just wanting Kelly to see it.

So what?

Nick rolled his shoulders back and set the computer to the side so he could get some food.

==

Kelly glanced at his mug of coffee sitting next to his elbow as he sat in a local coffee shop browsing on their free wifi. He smirked and replied to Nick.

 _I’m weak-willed and imbibing on The Bean_. _Guess we’ll have to figure out a different way for you to be proud._ _Long week at work? Is your URL an indicator of what that work is? Should I just call you Detective from now on? Or how about just Lucky? No, both of those took me three tries to spell right. Then again it’s cold here and my fingers are frozen so it’s not entirely my fault. Do you carry handcuffs? Because that makes you about 800% hotter._

Kelly pursed his lips at the last two lines. He’d seen the flag reblogged just minutes ago, but he had no way of knowing if Nick was even single or interested. And internet relationships could be tough at best and sketchy as hell at worst.

But Kelly had always been a flirt and unabashed about things and people he liked. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it blew up in his face. But that was the only way to live life, in his opinion. Much like his road trip. He’d wanted to hop around the country for years. At first, it was going to be a drive but then he realized he couldn’t do all he wanted in thirty days driving so he combined driving with flying. Fly somewhere, rent a car and drive around the state and maybe into the neighboring one. For the past nine days, it’d gone rather well.

There wasn’t a plan. Just a date to be back home by and that was it.

He sipped his coffee, smiling as the warmth slid down his chest and into his belly. _Fuck it_ and hit reply privately.

The response came about fifteen minutes later, right after Kelly had ordered another cup of coffee and a sandwich. He grinned at the screen as he read, his insides warming from something other than beverages.

_Yes, I’m actually detective and the last person to call me that was trying to hit on me in a bar that I don’t remember the name of. But I was there getting information. Not a date. Why do you ask about handcuffs? Looking for a reason to make me use them on you?_

Kelly chewed on his lower lip as he grinned and replied.

_Do I need a reason? I mean I could go the really clichéd ‘oh I’m a bad boy please arrest me’ route but that seems overdone._

==

Nick nearly spit out his beer when he opened the reply. He laughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

_I’m sure I could find a reason._

==

Two days later, Kelly tagged Nick in a picture of handcuffs at a gift shop. His hand was to his mouth in a mock scandalized expression. Nick may or may not have saved that picture to his files. They hadn’t done more than exchange messages via the website but every time Nick logged on, there were several notifications from Kelly and at least two messages waiting for him.

Mostly rambles and random questions, which Kelly crammed into the character limit.

On day thirteen, Kelly’s message was short but to the point (as was everything with him). _I meant to ask this before but am I overstepping boundaries with all the flirting? Because in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m flirting with you. A lot._

Nick laughed and tapped off a quick reply before jumping in the shower. _I think you pole vaulted over boundaries with the handcuffs don’t you think? Don’t worry, I’m flirting right back in case you missed it._

It was dumb. The whole thing made him feel like he was back in high school getting secret notes in his locker between classes. He felt equal parts childish and ridiculous for harboring such a crush on Kelly who, in reality, he knew very little about. He was learning little bits and pieces through his messages and photos, but he’d honestly give up his vacation time to be able to sit down and have a beer with the guy. He was funny. He was sarcastic. He was fearless. He was hot as hell.

He’d come really close to asking Kelly if Boston was one of his stops, but didn’t each time. He didn’t want to assume or impose or make Kelly change his plans if that’s not what he wanted to do. And, for all he knew, the flirting was just some fun via the internet. Nothing more or less than that.

==

Kelly made it a grand total of sixteen days before something went wrong. He prided himself in getting through half of his trip before the car broke down on the side of the highway after dark. He figured as far as the list of Things That Could Go Wrong, the broken down car was a better choice.

He phoned highway assistance, who told him it’d be at least an hour to get someone out there. He pulled an extra sweatshirt out of his bag and told them that’d be fine. Push came to shove, he knew how to build a campfire. For now, it was a broken car in the middle of nowhere lit only by the glow of his phone.

Thankfully, his phone was at full battery so he used the area coverage to look for nearby hotels in case this took longer than anticipated. He had zero emails so he opened the Tumblr app and browsed, cursing its existence and the fact that his tablet needed to be charged. After a while of waiting for images to load, he gave up and went into his messages. There was one from Nick he hadn’t answered yet, debating with him about mountains versus oceans.

He hit reply, ignored their entire conversation, and typed, _Broke down on the side of the highway. Are highways hunting grounds for chainsaw murderers or axe murderers? I can never remember. In any case, by the time one finds me, I’m sure I’ll be easy to kill because it’s so goddamn cold._

He climbed out of the car and walked around for a bit to get his blood moving. He was tempted to go through his entire PT regimen from basic when his email dinged.

_Are you all right? If you were in my neck of the woods, I’d come get you. Maybe even bring you coffee._

Kelly smiled and leaned on the still-warm hood of the car while he typed. _Tease. On both accounts. I’m fine. Just cold. And bored. Truck won’t be here for an hour._

He went back to scrolling, bypassing the gray boxes which were supposed to be images and scanning text posts.

Four minutes later, he got another notification. This one made his heart jumble around like a rubberband ball set loose in his chest.

_Well if you need distraction, here’s my number. Text or call. I’m at home with no plans._

Kelly swallowed, not sure why the ten digits made this weird buzzy feeling shoot up his spine and into his head, warming him more than the walking around did. He climbed back into the car, stared at the number for another minute, saved it to his contacts, stared at it for another minute, mentally berated himself for being a chickenshit, opened up a new text message, closed the new text message without typing anything, beat his head against the headrest twice, then dialed the number.

It clicked after the third ring. “O’Flaherty,” came a thick Boston drawl which wrapped around Kelly’s insides like warm butter.

“Nick,” Kelly said then cleared his throat and tried again. “It’s Kelly.”

There was a moment of silence then, when Nick spoke again, Kelly could hear the smile in his voice. “Hey, Kels.”

Kelly pulled his knees up to his chest, his shins resting against the steering wheel, and slouched in the seat further. “Kels?”

Nick huffed a small laugh. “I guess so.”

Kelly grinned in the darkened car. “Kinda dangerous to give your phone number to a stranger.”

Nick hummed and something rustled in the background. “Kinda dangerous to call a stranger.”

“I guess we’re both living on the edge tonight.”

Nick laughed softly. Silence crept across the phone lines between them while Kelly searched for something to say.

“You sure you’re okay?” Nick asked. “I can see if I have any buddies in the area.”

“Then I’d have to tell you where I am and that’s just flirting with danger.”

“You’ve been flirting with me for two weeks.”

Kelly laughed. “Did you really just call yourself danger?”

Nick made a noncommittal noise.

“You know,” Kelly said. “We kinda skipped a few steps here.”

“Oh?”

“Well yeah, tumblr then messaging then email then like maybe a chat thing then texts then awkward phone calls where neither of us know what to say.”

Nick laughed. “Have you done this before?”

 _This_. The implications of that tiny word zapped through Kelly like a box of fireworks. “Nah, it’s just some sort of unspoken rule.”

“Well, I was never one for rules, babe. But you can have my email if that’ll make you feel better.”

Kelly’s cheeks were starting to ache with how wide he was grinning. “Sure.”

“So, where’d you break down?” More rustling and Kelly suddenly did the math with the time zone difference.

“You’re in bed aren’t you?” Kelly asked, guilt cramping his insides.

“Technically, yes,” Nick answered. “But I was reading, not asleep. You didn’t wake me up.”

“Oh okay, good.” Kelly pulled his sweatshirt sleeves over his fingers, trying desperately _not_ to imagine Nick in bed…which made him realize something. “I don’t know what you look like.”

“That’s a really interesting tangent to follow after establishing I’m laying in bed,” Nick teased.

Kelly’s cheeks warmed. “I just…yeah. Shut up.”

Nick laughed harder, the sound ping-ponging around Kelly’s ribcage and making his heart beat faster. “You know I could be a complete troll.”

 _Somehow I doubt that_. “You could. Do you live under a bridge?”

“Only on Tuesdays,” Nick answered immediately.

Kelly fiddled with the cuff of his sweatshirt. “I’m somewhere in Tennessee, I think.”

“You think?”

“Well I flew to Chicago and stayed there for a day then rented a car to drive to Nashville. That’s where I’m headed now.”

Nick made a thoughtful sound. “I do know someone in Nashville. I can call them if you want.”

“Nah, the truck should be here soon and there’s a hotel nearby I can crash at.” The fact that Nick was trying to take care of him from afar made Kelly feel a little more than giddy.

“Well I’ll hang out with you until it’s there then,” Nick said, his voice dropping a little.

And he did. They chatted about Kelly’s trip, weather in Tennessee versus weather in Boston, and Nick’s obsession with tea versus Kelly’s obsession with coffee. Headlights reflecting in his side mirror pulled Kelly’s attention as a large tow truck drove past him and pulled to the side of the road.

“Tow guy’s here,” Kelly said, a little disappointed they had to stop talking.

“Want me to stay on the phone until you’re at a hotel?” Nick asked.

Kelly smiled as he climbed out of the car and waved to the tow driver. “I’ll be okay. Thanks though.”

“He could be an axe murderer.”

“True. But I was in the marines and undefeated at sparring. I think I’ll be all right.”

Nick made an amused noise. “Well, shoot me a text or something when you get to your hotel room.”

“Will do. Hey Nick?” Kelly asked quickly, desperate to hear Nick’s voice one more time. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Kels,” Nick answered softly. “Night.”

The line clicked silent.

==

Nick stared at his phone for a few minutes. It’d grown hot in his hand over the past hour and his ear was almost uncomfortably warm, but he didn’t really care. He blew out a long breath, his nerves all on end as if something had scraped across them. Kelly’s voice. Kelly’s laugh. All of it combined with the personality he’d gotten to know over the past two weeks was adding up to be trouble for Nick.

He was in deep and just the fact that he was wondering how far away Nashville was from Boston sent up massive warning flags. He didn’t do relationships or boyfriends or girlfriends or anything beyond a few dates and some fun times.

But there was something about Kelly that made Nick want to throw all his rules out the window.

_I don’t know what you look like._

Nick debated for a while then figured it was only fair since he knew what Kelly looked like and _goddamn son_.

He opened the camera app and snapped a quick picture of himself. The lamplight in his bedroom wasn’t the best lighting but he wasn’t going for model-worthy at the moment. He texted it directly to Kelly instead of posting it on Tumblr.

_See? Total troll._

The reply didn’t come for about a half an hour.

_At a hotel. No axe murderers. And if that’s your definition of troll, I want to come live under your bridge, dude._

_Only on Tuesdays,_ Nick replied.

The little dots indicating Kelly was typing seemed to blink at him forever. The next message made Nick’s pulse speed up.

_Well good thing the 25th is a Tuesday. That’s when I’ll be in Boston._

==

Kelly sat cross-legged on the hotel bed, staring at the picture Nick had just sent him. _Freckles_. Nick had motherfucking freckles and that was pretty much the moment Kelly knew he was done for. The curly auburn hair and crystal green eyes were gorgeous on their own, but _freckles_. He had no idea why, but he’d always been a complete sucker for freckles. When he was little, he used to get pissed when he’d tan instead of freckle.

He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his frazzled nerves as he opened his sort of makeshift itinerary on his tablet. It wasn’t anything super detailed—mostly a list of cities he’d like to see. Boston was on the list as far as the East Coast was concerned but he hadn’t actually been planning on stopping there. He opened his calendar as he replied, _At a hotel. No axe murderers. And if that’s your definition of troll, I want to come live under your bridge, dude._

 _Only on Tuesdays,_ Nick’s message blinked on the screen and Kelly laughed out loud, his voice echoing in the small hotel room.

Kelly scanned the calendar and chewed on his lower lip as he made a snap decision. _Well good thing the 25th is a Tuesday. That’s when I’ll be in Boston._

Nick’s response was forever in coming. The little dots blinked for an eternity then stopped then blinked again. Kelly felt momentarily guilty, like he’d suddenly imposed on Nick without even asking. Maybe this was all a stupid game for him. Flirt from afar. No follow through. Which was fine, but…

_You’re really coming here?_

_Is that okay?_

_Hell yeah it is. Flying or driving?_

_Probably flying. I’ll hit Atlanta next and then fly up most likely._

_I’ll pick you up at the airport._

That night, Kelly dreamed of freckles.

==

On Day 18, Nick noticed a new tag on a few of Kelly’s posts: _only on tuesdays._ When he realized Kelly was tagging things he wanted Nick to notice, it made him laugh as warmth spread through his chest. One of Kelly’s followers asking him about it and he replied it was an inside joke with a friend, which earned him a fair amount of teasing in the replies about a secret lover.

Nick had fallen hard, that much he could admit to himself. The twenty-fifth loomed in the distance, staring at him from the other side of the weekend as if expecting him to make a decision. For now, he bookmarked the tag URL on Kelly’s blog and survived work.

Kelly texted him over the next several days. Griping about Nashville traffic. Asking him if he’d ever had certain foods. Telling him about the mountains between Nashville and Atlanta. Complaining the trees were prettier in Colorado than Georgia. Tell him he thought Boston cops were more attractive than Nashville and Atlanta cops.

 _I’m a detective. Not a cop._ Nick couldn’t help correcting that one.

_Hey what was your rank when you discharged?_

Nick frowned. _Staff sergeant, why?_

_So I can say Yes, Staff Sergeant when you snip at me like that._

_Dork_

_Nerd_

“Fling of the week?” Hagan asked as he sat down at his desk.

Nick shook his head as he shoved his phone in his pocket. “Friend.”

“Uh-huh, I highly doubt you smile at the phone like you won the lottery when I call you.” Hagan raised his eyebrows.

“I usually cuss you out a bit before I pick up,” Nick threw a wadded up receipt at him.

Hagan ducked, laughing. His desk phone rang, which saved Nick from any further harassment about his love life.

 _Love life_.

Kelly was coming to visit in two days. The thought made his heart dive bomb his stomach. It was so weird when he thought back on it. He’d known _of_ him for a while now, but their friendship/flirting/whatever-the-fuck-this-was was mere weeks old. By any rational thought, everything about this was probably ill-advised.

He spent the next day cleaning the boat and making sure it had plenty of food and fuel. He even checked his vacation time and nabbed a couple of days since they were between cases. When he told Hagan, his partner just laughed and said, “Friend, huh? Sure, bud.”

Nick shrugged and grinned, feeling like a teenager all over again.

The night before Kelly was due to arrive, they spoke on the phone and scrolled Tumblr together. Kelly told him the flight information. Nick put him on speakerphone and told him a little about Boston, suggesting few things they could do.

“That’s a lot of stuff,” Kelly remarked.

Nick nodded even though Kelly couldn’t see him. “Variety. Also depends on how long you’re staying.”

“Well I don’t have to be back in Colorado until the thirtieth, so…”

Nick stared at the phone. “Do you have another stop after Boston?”

“Not a planned one.” His voice grew hesitant. “I mean if five days is too long then I can go visit DC or something. Never been there.”

Nick realized he was gaping and not speaking. “No, no, no, it’s great. I just…I didn’t…” He blew out a breath and cleared his throat. “Let’s try that again. Five days sounds fantastic and you’re welcome to stay on the boat for as long as you want.”

Kelly laughed, the relief filtering through the tiny speaker. “Five days is the max but thank you.”

Nick swallowed, nerves fluttering through his chest. “I’ll probably hug you when I see you. I’m kinda handsy.”

“Well that’s good. I was already planning on wrapping around you like a koala bear so we’re on the same page there,” Kelly said without hesitation.

Nick grinned, wondering why he ever had nerves around Kelly when usually the next thing out of Kelly’s mouth put him perfectly at ease. “Hey, I have a question.”

“I have an answer. Let’s see if they match.”

“Dork.”

“Dweeb. That wasn’t a question.”

Nick shook his head, his side starting to hurt from laughing. “Why a month long road trip?”

Kelly was quiet for a moment and Nick wondered if he’d hit on a subject he wasn’t supposed to ask about. He was about to tell Kelly never mind when Kelly answered. “This is going to sound really dumb, but I’m looking for home.”

“What do you mean?”

Kelly sighed and Nick could almost envision frown lines between his changeable eyes. “I told you how I’m an orphan, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…I’ve never really found home since then. I mean I had foster families who were great. I had the Navy and the Marines which were both awesome. But nothing ever really felt like home. Like a place I could put down roots.”

“Not Colorado?” Nick asked.

“Colorado’s close. I love the mountains and the trees. I could definitely see myself growing old there. But…I don’t know.” He gave a weak laugh and Nick felt a little bad for bringing it up.

“You’ll find it, Kels.”

“I hope so.”

Nick cleared his throat, looking for a different subject. A picture on Tumblr caught his eye and he smiled. “Hey, do you like baseball?”

Kelly hummed. “I’ll admit, I don’t know that much about it.”

“Oh man,” Nick said with relish. “Let me explain you a thing.”

==

Kelly’s insides were made of bees as the plane taxied into the gate. The day was sunny and cloudless, a sharp breeze slipping between where the walkway tunnel snugged up to the plane door. He smiled at the air steward and shouldered his bag, his heart playing bongos on his ribs as he walked into the gate and checked the signs for baggage claim.

All he had was the one picture to go on so he wasn’t entirely certain he’d recognize Nick immediately. He scanned the crowds at baggage as he rode the escalator down, mentally cursing the heavy coats and winter hats turning everyone into a sea of winter battle armor.

Twenty-five days. That’s all it’d taken for them to go from complete strangers to…whatever this was, but Kelly liked it and wanted to grab hold of it and ride into the sunset. He just hoped Nick felt the same way. If anything, Kelly had found a kindred spirit in Nick. Someone he could easily see being friends with for a really long time.

He stepped off the bottom of the escalator and wandered the claim, moving out of the thick of the crowds to the edges so he could scan better. He caught flashes of red or green but none were ever Nick. After a few minutes of searching, he started to dig his phone out of his pocket to call him. He turned as he did and froze. About ten feet away, near the side doors leading to one of the curb drop-offs, there he was. Trenchcoat over broad shoulders, freckles visible even from here, and green eyes that scrunched a little at the corners with his smile.

Kelly ran at him. He didn’t think, he just ran and basically tackled him. Nick grunted and stumbled back into a wall, his arms sweeping around Kelly and holding him tight.

Kelly pulled back a little, grinning so wide his face hurt. “It’s you.”

Nick hadn’t loosened his hold, his face maybe an inch from Kelly’s. “Hey, Doc.”

Kelly kissed him. A kiss was not at all in his plans. It’d been in his hopes for the visit but not here in the airport within the first minute of meeting but here they were hugging and Nick’s everything filling his entire world that kissing him just felt almost instinctual.

Nick made a surprised noise then one hand moved from Kelly’s waist to his hair to hold him in place as he kissed him back.

_Nick kissed him back._

Kelly’s fingers curled into Nick’s shirt and he tugged a little as they kissed in the middle of the airport with people milling around them. It was a kiss worthy of every cheesy romance film ever created. There were sliding lips, teeth and tongue, and roaming hands. Kelly never wanted it to end.

Nick smiled against his lips and nipped at him. “And hello to you too.”

Kelly grinned, a flush climbing up his throat from either the kiss or some degree of embarrassment. “Sorry, got carried away.”

Nick kissed him gently. “I was going to do the same thing, honestly.”

“Really?” Kelly asked.

“Really.” Nick pushed them apart and slid his hand into Kelly’s, fingers tangling and holding tight. He pulled Kelly out the doors and kissed his fingers as they walked to the parking garage. “Welcome to Boston, Kels.”

_Twenty-five days._

As Kelly walked to the car with Nick, their hands joined and his lips still tingling from that kiss, he realized it’d only taken him twenty-five days to find home.


End file.
